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Home | Jail Ministry | Ministry Opens Doors for Troubled Women
Ministry Opens Doors for Troubled Women

Vinelle Miller

From www.Ocala.com "Spontaneous laughter, applause and shouts of 'That's right!' and 'Amen!' erupted during a church service for female inmates at the Marion County Jail on a recent Sunday.

Facilitated by Women in Touch, an outreach of First Baptist Church of Belleview, the church service is just one aspect of a ministry that is opening doors for women in transition from jail and those seeking release from addiction.

Vinelle MillerBy Marian Rizzo, Correspondent
Published: Monday, January 26, 2009

BELLEVIEW "Spontaneous laughter, applause and shouts of "That's right!" and "Amen!" erupted during a church service for female inmates at the Marion County Jail on a recent Sunday.

Facilitated by Women in Touch, an outreach of First Baptist Church of Belleview, the church service is just one aspect of a ministry that is opening doors for women in transition from jail and those seeking release from addiction.

Renee McKamey, 30, and Kaley Dozier, 20, said they have applied for assistance through Women in Touch, which operates a transitional home and offers classes in life skills and Bible study.

"They give you a feeling there's a chance of redemption for you," said McKamey, a former nurse. "I expect my whole life to change and to grow from this experience. This is not who I am in this jail. We're real people in here. There's a life beyond this."

Dozier, a talented artist who has been painting with unusual mediums, such as mustard, chocolate, coffee and fruit punch, hopes to take art classes after her release.

"Women in Touch has taught me to be patient and to not worry what other people think about me because I'm in here," Dozier said. "I applied for the program a couple months ago. I hope to grow in the program after I get out of here."

Women in Touch was started 12 years ago by Ann Kuefner, a former women's chaplain at the Marion County Jail. After Kuefner moved away, the ministry continued under the leadership of Dee Hillman, of The Villages, and Kathy Andriola, of Belleview. The ministry has extended into Lake County, where jail chaplain Saundra Brewer refers women to the program.

Challenges Abound
The monthly church services and one-on-one counseling sessions have proven successful, Hillman said. "We've had over 500 salvations a year at the jail. We interview about 15 girls every month for the house. When they come into the house, they have a full-time job. They graduate with $3,000 or $4,000 in savings, so they can go to college. They don't have to pay for anything while living there, except their girlie things.

"It's very structured. Our main goal is to help them learn to overcome their circumstances through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Most of them have horrific abuse backgrounds, so it's a huge step for them to learn to trust."

Since its start in 1997, Women in Touch has helped more than 150 women find jobs, attend college, reunite with families and overcome addictions. Nevertheless, Hillman said the challenges are great.

"It's a disappointment, sometimes, that the world takes some of them back," she said. "But, it's a blessing to see new Christians. They love the Lord. They love their church. They're amazed that a group of people love them that don't even know them. It's about how Christ changes lives. If you look at them like God looks at them, they flourish. Some people call it jailhouse religion. I don't care. If it keeps them from going to hell, I don't care where they get it."

Further support comes through a pen pal ministry between women in the Belleview church and women in prison.

"They don't send them money. They don't send them stamps. But they do send them Jesus," Hillman said.

Needed Ministry
Belleview First Baptist Church Pastor Ronnie Walker said he is amazed at how people have supported the program, not just the church, but also the community. One individual donated a house. Various businesses provided appliances, furniture and other household items.

"It's certainly an encouragement, and it also expanded our opportunity to be an influence in the community in a positive way," Walker said. "It provided an avenue of ministry for our church that wasn't there before. There is an increasing need for this kind of ministry. There are various opportunities for it to expand, because of the number of women that can be helped.

"It's worthwhile in that it's biblical. Jesus said, 'When you've done this unto the least of these, you've done it unto me.' This is a way to bless the Lord by ministry to people in special needs, such as these women are."

Lives Changed
Vinelle Miller and Marlo Frye went through the program after release from jail. Both resided at the ministry's transitional home.

A self-described back-slidden Christian, Frye said addiction separated her from her family and landed her in jail. She feels her life would have continued on the same path had it not been for Women in Touch.

"I just was honest with them. I was falling into old addictions," Frye said. "They prayed me into recovery. And I prayed with my daughter. I prayed God would release me from my addiction, and that night I got arrested. I needed to be in a place where I lost everything, which God restored beyond what I could ever have imagined. God restored my children to me. This is about a new beginning."

Miller said she saw the inside of a jail cell multiple times. Angry because of abuses in her past and addicted to drugs, she developed a tough shell. Then she was introduced to Women in Touch. Today, Miller works a full-time job and is studying computer technology in college, where she was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa. She also serves as a co-director of the ministry.

"I was in bondage," Miller said. "Before I came to know God, I was still in an addiction. I had a whole bunch of anger in me. My greatest transition was realizing all the stuff that needed to come out. I had to forgive those people that abused me. I learned it through the love that was given to me by the Women in Touch ministry.

"They were able to stand firm. I got discipline, direction. I transitioned from a street life where you are in bondage to an addiction. Once I came out to the Women in Touch home, God showed me there was a place where there was love. He's put me on a solid foundation where I don't have to depend on drugs anymore to control my life. God is the head of my life now. The most rewarding part about it is being able to give back what God gives me on a daily basis."

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